Monday, December 12, 2005

A bored Khasi prisoner was desperate to go out of his cell. The warden asks him to dig holes and fill them up again. Our prisoner was a happy man. Digging holes and filling them up (our government also functions in a similar fashion). As luck would have it, he hit a natural spring. And a whole lake had to dug and a garden developed around it (though there's no evidence suggesting that he did it all on his own). He got no credit for it and the place was named after Sir William Ward, the Chief Commissioner of Assam (1893-94). (Shillong used to be the capital of Assam from 1874 to 1972. Then Meghalaya became a separate state). This place remains a favorite haunt of lovers, suicidal individuals/couples, tourists and morning walkers alike.

I'm unofficially trying to boost Meghalaya's economy. Don't have the cash to set up industries (or other money minting ventures) there. Atleast I'll try to attract some fat-wallet tourists. The tourism ministry doesn't seem to be doing much.